Perdue Farms has delivered more than 1.5 million pounds of protein — or six million servings — to food banks and hunger-relief efforts, exceeding its commitment to donate a minimum of one million pounds of protein to support communities where it conducts business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort is part of Perdue’s “Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors” hunger-relief initiative.

Perdue has directed its nutritious protein donations to Feeding America-affiliated food banks serving its communities, including in California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Perdue has also directed product donations to help frontline healthcare workers and first responders, and support community-based hunger-relief programs.

Some of the most recent donations are supporting:

Central Texas Food Bank

Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland

Feed More (Virginia)

Food Bank of Delaware

Food Bank of the Siouxland (Iowa)

Maryland Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank

“The Perdue donation was received at the right time. Many individuals and families who are in need, and possibly food insecure, often cannot afford to purchase chicken and other protein items on their own,” said Jamie Sizemore, executive director of Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland in Elizabethtown, Ky. “Perdue has helped us to meet these needs and distribute good, nutritious protein across our service area.”

“Our community has experienced a tremendous increase in Siouxlanders becoming food insecure and needing to rely on the safety net system,” said Linda Scheid, executive director of the Food Bank of the Siouxland in Sioux City, Iowa. “Protein is always a product in high demand, so donations like these are incredibly important and valuable. Only with great support from donors, both financial supporters and food donors, such as Perdue, have we been able to provide the food that is so critical for us all.”

U.S. food banks continue to struggle with an ever-increasing demand for food by individuals and families trying to make ends meet during the COVID-19 crisis.

“Every day, our neighbors within our communities and throughout the U.S. are relying more on their local food banks and pantries to put a meal on the table for their families amid the pandemic,” said Randy Day, CEO of Perdue Farms. “As a food company, we have the resources and a responsibility to help those struggling with food insecurity, especially during an unprecedented time like this. It’s the right thing to do.”

About Perdue Farms
We’re a fourth-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The PERDUE brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and the company is the leader in organic chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our centennial year, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. 

Click here for more COVID-19 coverage and how it is affecting the refrigerated and frozen foods industry.